Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks take rivalry to first round of Stanley Cup Playoffs

In this file photo, Los Angeles Kings center Jordan Nolan, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., on April 3, 2014. The Sharks won that game 2-1. In their five meetings with the Sharks this season, the Kings have won three times. (Jeff Chiu/The Associated Press)

Stanley Cup Playoffs

Western Conference

Game 1: Kings at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, SAP Center

TV: Fox Sports West; NBC Sports Network

Once more with feeling.

The Kings square off against the San Jose Sharks in the playoffs for the third time in four years, with all the chips on all the shoulders that you would expect such a rivalry to produce. The Kings and Sharks have plenty of reasons to snarl at each other.

So, don’t expect anything but a hard-hitting and hard-nosed series that could go the distance.

“I’m prepared for the battle that it will be, regardless of the history,” Kings captain Dustin Brown said when asked if he was prepared for another bout with the Sharks. “Generally, if they hate you it’s because you’re doing certain things that are expected of you.”

The Match-up

SAN JOSE (51-22-9) vs. LOS ANGELES (46-38-8)

SEASON SERIES: Los Angeles won 3-1-1. The Kings took the closely contested series in the regular season, winning only once by more than a goal.

STORY LINE: In perhaps the first-round series with the most intensity, San Jose hopes home ice is an advantage after losing at Los Angeles in Game 7 of the second round last year. The Sharks got past the Kings in six games in their opening-round series four years ago.

SAN JOSE’S KEY PLAYER: Joe Pavelski. The do-it-all forward has had the best year of his eight-year career. He scored 41 goals 10 more than his previous career high and had 79 points to surpass what he did during the 2010-11 season by 13 points. The Sharks’ leading scorer will have to produce against Jonathan Quick to help them advance.

L.A.’S KEY PLAYER: Anze Kopitar. The offensively challenged team needs its leading scorer from the past seven seasons to keep the goals coming against Antti Niemi in the series. When the pride of Slovenia was at his best in the playoffs, he had 20 points in 20 games to help the Kings hoist the Stanley Cup in 2012 for the first time in franchise history.

PREDICTION: Kings in 7.

— Larry Lage, The Associated Press

The teams split the first two playoff series, with the Sharks defeating the Kings in six games in the first round of the 2011 playoffs and the Kings downing the Sharks in seven games in the second round last season. The team with home-ice advantage won each of the series. San Jose has it this time.

Game 1 of the best-of-7 first-round series is Thursday night at the SAP Center.

“The playoffs are always physical,” Brown said. “I expect it to be a difficult series.”

There’s little doubt Brown will draw the attention of the Sharks after a knee-to-knee collision with Tomas Hertl on Dec. 19 that sidelined the San Jose rookie for three months, igniting another round of bad feelings between the teams. Hertl returned to the lineup for the Sharks’ final two regular-season games.

Brown was not suspended for the play, which angered the Sharks.

San Jose general manager Doug Wilson said it was “very disappointing” no one from the Kings organization expressed concern for Hertl. Wilson recalled that the Sharks’ Raffi Torres reached out to the Kings’ Jarret Stoll after injuring him with an illegal hit last year in the playoffs.

Stoll suffered a head injury and Torres was suspended six games. Neither team was pleased.

In 2011, Stoll was banned for one game for an illegal hit on the Sharks’ Ian White.

“I don’t really know the extent of the history of it all,” Brown said when asked about Hertl’s return last week. “It’s been a while. I don’t know when he got back in (the lineup). It’s definitely a boost for their team from an offensive standpoint. It gives them even more depth.”

In fact, the Sharks’ biggest advantage in the series could be their superior scoring depth. Hertl had 25 points, including 15 goals, in 48 games. Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau each topped 70 points during the regular season, with Pavelski leading the team with 79.

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The Kings finished the regular season with 206 goals, the fewest of any playoff team. Their offensive struggles were tempered by a league-leading defense that surrendered 174 goals and by the acquisition of playmaker Marian Gaborik on March 5 from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Gaborik clicked with top-line center Anze Kopitar. Gaborik had 16 points, including five goals, in 19 games with the Kings. Kopitar recorded 18 points during that span, including 10 goals, and finished as the Kings’ leader in points with 70 and goals with 29.

“Once he came here, you try to get to know him as quick as you can and build some chemistry,” Kopitar said of Gaborik. “I think me, Marian and Justin (Williams) have done a pretty good job. It feels like we’ve all jelled together pretty well. I think all of us want to play a give-and-go game.”